A St. Landry Parish grand jury has handed up three murder indictments in separate cases, District Attorney Chad Pitre tells us.
The men indicted were Carl Franklin Tates, Jaleel Washington and Leonard Ratican.
Tates is accused of second-degree murder for the slaying of Demetris Lincoln. Lincoln was last seen alive by her family members at her Houston home on August 16, 2019. Three days later, Lincoln’s body was found in a ditch near Exit 27 on I-49 in Washington, Louisiana. Lincoln was wrapped in a blanket, her hands were severed, but there was nothing found at the scene to identify her. Ultimately a call-in tip, LSU Faces Forensic Imaging and Facial Approximation, along with DNA testing led to the identification of Lincoln and discovery of evidence linking Tates to Lincoln’s disappearance.
To read our story about the case, click here.
Court records in Harris County indicate police booked Tates with murder in this case back in 2022. Police believe Tates strangled Lincoln before cutting off her hands, the records indicate. Tates and Lincoln had been in a relationship, and Lincoln had filed multiple police reports accusing Tates of threatening or assaulting her, the records say. She also had recently told him she was ending their relationship. The past reports indicated that Tates had told her if he found her with another man she would "regret it" and that during at least one argument he had choked her. During one incident, she ran away from her own house to get away from Tates, the records state. Investigators there also pulled cell phone data showing many phone calls and texts from Tates to Lincoln - which all stopped the day she went missing. They also learned that license plate readers in Louisiana spotted his vehicle in Louisiana four times on the day her body was found.
Tates is currently incarcerated in Harris County Jail, and he will be extradited to St. Landry Parish to face these new charges, St. Landry officials say.
Washington of Opelousas is also accused of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Zacariah Zerangue. That shooting happened on January 5 in the 700 block of West Hiram Street in Opelousas. Washington was arguing with Zerangue, witnesses alleged, and Washington is accused of shooting Zerangue several times.
To read our story about that case, click here.
Leonard Ratican is accused of Second Degree Murder, Aggravated Cruelty to the Infirm and Exploitation of the Infirm. He's accused of the slaying of his aunt, Mary Jenner, 78, who prosecutors say raised him.
Back in November, Jenner was found immobile, malnourished and barely breathing at the Sunset home the two had lived for 17 years. Ratican had called 911, reporting that his aunt needed medical assistance. She died soon after.
